The Ritz-Carlton Maui Kapalua

The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua is set on 22 acres of the island's northwest shore, on land once planted with pineapple and coffee. The resort maintains the Honokahua Preservation Site, a recognised sacred ground beside the property, and its Community Footprints programme funds local conservation work from the mountains to the sea. It holds 468 rooms and suites, recently redesigned with dark wood floors, marble bathrooms and island-modern interiors. The Deluxe rooms run to 40 square metres, each with a lanai facing the tropical grounds, a king bed and a marble bathroom with a separate tub and shower. Guests can walk straight onto D.T. Fleming Beach. Six dining venues draw on the resort's own organic garden and local seafood, from the beachfront Banyan Tree to the grab-and-go Kai Cafe. The 17,500-square-foot spa holds 15 treatment rooms, more than half opening onto private outdoor shower gardens, plus two couples' hale. Golf reaches back further than the hotel itself: the adjacent Plantation Course, designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, has hosted more than 25 PGA Tour events. The Kapalua Coastal Trail runs directly through the property, linking Kapalua Bay to D.T. Fleming Beach Park. Check-in runs from 4pm.